"You worry to much about your Diabetes"

[helli]

Knowledge is power.

I agree with this but to the point made by @Sally71 data is not knowledge unless you are doing something with it.
My work is about monitoring IT stuff. The customers of ours who are successful are not the ones who collect the most data - they are the ones who do something with the data. We call it "actionable insights".
Sometimes you have to collect more data to understand the bigger picture but that still needs to be focused collection. Apart from anything else it costs the companies money to collect data so they need it to be useful.
I find this a useful analogy for what we do with our diabetes data.

 

[littlevoice359]

I agree with this but to the point made by @Sally71 data is not knowledge unless you are doing something with it.
My work is about monitoring IT stuff. The customers of ours who are successful are not the ones who collect the most data - they are the ones who do something with the data. We call it "actionable insights".
Sometimes you have to collect more data to understand the bigger picture but that still needs to be focused collection. Apart from anything else it costs the companies money to collect data so they need it to be useful.
I find this a useful analogy for what we do with our diabetes data.

I’m retired now, but for much of my working life I developed IT systems to collect (manufacturing test) data and turn it into actionable information. So, it was logical for me, after I was diagnosed with T1D, to develop software for myself to take the drudgery out of managing my diabetes.

I have it at the stage now that data from my Dexcom G7 sensor is collected in real time in the background and in such a way that I can link blood glucose trends to what I eat, for example. This has helped me understand which foods cause post-prandial spikes and which to avoid completely.

In the past week, I repurposed an old Android tablet to act as a realtime dashboard monitor. I glance at it every so often to see if I need to do anything.

Not for everyone, I know, but this works for me. Plus it helps me keep my software skills current, so bonus!

 

[Lucyr]

I agree with this but to the point made by @Sally71 data is not knowledge unless you are doing something with it.

I think people here have explained my thoughts better than I have now, this is what I mean though.

For example counting carbs and calories. It’s a lot of work mentally to do that all the time, it’s a lot of extra focus on diabetes. If you’re already happy with the foods you eat and have some core dishes that work for you, or if you’re in a living scenario where you can’t control your diet fully as someone else is catering, and you’re not using the information to adjust insulin, then there’s no point in counting carbs and calories. It’s only worth the mental effort and focus when it directly influences a decision.

So if you take mealtime insulin based on the carb content then yes it’s worth counting them. If you’re newly diagnosed and trying to get a feel of high and low carb foods, or longer diagnosed and trying to refresh and reset, or looking at a new meal then it’s worth it. But if none of those things then ask yourself, what am I doing with this information? What decisions would change if I didn’t collect this data?

 

[Satan’s little helper]

In principal no but the checking 2 hours after food usually refers to people who are dietary managed or diet and oral meds rather than for people taking insulin.

It is also a requirement for insulin users behind the wheel of a car. So someone spending a fair amount of time on the road, could be quite common. 🙂

Is what a certain person told me. Ok I watch what I eat I carb/cal count keep a notebook with sugar levels/what I eat and am treating myself to a machine so that I can see how certain foods affect me and check my levels 2 hours after food. Is this to much I have tight control over my levels and my weight lose. My insulin has been cut down to 56 units a day. How much better than the days when I was on 110 units a day day and my range was 15-25. I dont think thats going overboard do you?

Sounds to me like you’re just being engaged in managing your health? Nothing wrong with that.

 

[helli]

It is also a requirement for insulin users behind the wheel of a car. So someone spending a fair amount of time on the road, could be quite common. 🙂

It is requirement for any drivers on insulin to test their BG every 2 hours regardless when their last meal was.
The DVLA are uninterested by how many carbs you have eaten and when or even how much insulin on board you have.
For just doesn’t come into their equation.

 

[Satan’s little helper]

It is requirement for any drivers on insulin to test their BG every 2 hours regardless when their last meal was.
The DVLA are uninterested by how many carbs you have eaten and when or even how much insulin on board you have.
For just doesn’t come into their equation.

I know. I was merely talking about the testing. & the DVLA requirement. There could be a fair few checks during the day for someone who drives for a living & that wouldn’t even count driving to the depot and home from the shift? 😉

 

[CliffH]

Yeah I think this is quite a common experience for T1 diabetics sadly I remember having a sleepover when I was like 11 at my friend's house, and her step-dad was also T1 and said I wasn't allowed to have hot chocolate before sleeping and was really mean about it. That's really stuck with me for some reason As others have said, how we manage our diabetes is quite personal and it's not ever productive to tell someone how to regulate their own. There is also a fine line between that and giving some "well-meaning" advice, which I think some people fail to do. It's whatever works best for you.

Saying that @gail2 I've heard a few stories of people who are almost obsessive about their diabetes, checking their sugars constantly and not eating carbs at all out of fear of sugar level spikes. That's when I would perhaps want to intervene and give them some advice, as at that point it's affecting their wellbeing but I think the choice of words ("you worry too much") in this case is a bit unnecessary. It sounds what you're doing is perfectly fine, and works for you. If this person is close to you, it may be worth sitting down with them and having a conversation about the language you use with each other around diabetes and how their words upset you. I've had similar conversations with partners in the past and it's been really helpful. People don't realise the impact of their words sometimes.

Great points! I'm reminded of the saying: "In the whole history of worrying, no-one's ever stopped worrying because someone's told them to stop worrying".

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Great points! I'm reminded of the saying: "In the whole history of worrying, no-one's ever stopped worrying because someone's told them to stop worrying".

Maybe the “certain person” telling @gail2 they “worry too much” is projecting thier own anxiety? The advise I’d give is pay it no mind.